Fort Greene has and continues to undergo a variety of changes-some good and some not so good. Recently, there has been a growing movement to GREEN Fort Greene-we are very excited about this and want to make certain all segments of the population are included in these changes and the possible benefits of creating a more sustainable Fort Greene.
We would like to ensure that the voices and needs of our members are included in the greening of Fort Greene. Snap primarily serves the residents of the three public housing developments located on Myrtle Avenue: Ingersoll, Farragut,and Whitman as well as the residents of the eight homeless shelters located within Fort Greene.
We feel that Green Mapping is the perfect way to engage our members in these exciting changes and ensure that low-income people of color have access to the coming wave of "green-collar" jobs.
Our vision is to create pathways into green collar industries and eventually develop a green-collar workforce here in Fort Greene. We'd like to organize a team of 5 members to lead a Green-Mapping project with the intention of identifying potential sites that could be used in the creation of local green jobs, such as, hazardous waste sites, restorable brownfields, community gardens, and/or green businesses and environmental organizations. After mapping these sites we will work with the "experts" to create a training program and pathways into more advanced green industries.
We currently operate an open-access computer lab, computer literacy workshops, resume and job search assistance, grandparent caregiver support groups, and health and housing information and advocacy. Along with our partners, we have learned that the majority of our members are faced with a variety of obstacles, and we hope this project gives them the opportunity to improve their quality of life and the lives of their loved ones.